VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Blazer men's basketball team (5-1 overall, 0-0 GSC) opens Gulf South Conference play with a pair of formidable opponents, as they travel to Alabama to take on West Alabama (4-2 overall, 0-0 GSC) on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. ET followed by a battle with No. 14 ranked Alabama Huntsville (6-1 overall, 1-0 GSC) on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. ET.
 
Both games will be streamed on FloCollege and this week there will be NO radio coverage of the games. Valdosta State is coming off a little bit of a break as they most recently hosted the Night Hawks of Thomas University last Tuesday where VSU came out with a 107-62 win to close non-conference play. Junior Lucas Brown Jr. scored a season high 20 points on 8-14 from the floor with four triples in the dominating win. The Blazers held the Night Hawks to .308 from the floor and .207 from deep on just six makes in 29 attempts.
 
The Blazers are led by head coach Mike Helfer, who is in his 20^th season at the helm of VSU basketball. During his time in Titletown, he holds a record of 366-192 (.656), which is second all-time in Valdosta State history. Helfer's offense has been lethal all season, as the Blazers are ranked first in the GSC and ninth in the country in points per game as a squad as they are averaging 97.5 a night. VSU has been off to the races early-on as well, as they are ranked first in the nation in fast break points with 35.8 a night. That has been in part of them forcing a lot of turnovers and taking care of the ball, as they are ranked seventh in the country in turnover margin and ninth in turnovers forced per game while recording 13.3 steals a game, good for sixth in the nation.
 
Individually, senior Carlos Hart has been a stat stuffer all season, as the guard is averaging 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals. He is achieving all of this while shooting .549 from the floor and .817 from the charity stripe on 49 made free throws, good for first in the GSC and seventh in the nation. Fellow senior Braxton Williams has been the ying to Hart's yang, as the former Alabama Juco player of the year has hit a team-high 14 three pointers for a .412 clip while also leading the team in scoring with 18.5 a night on just 23.5 minutes per game. Williams' 18.5 points per game ranks third in the GSC and 77^th nationally.
 
First up for the Blazers are the Tigers of West Alabama, who welcome the Blazers to Livingston with a 4-2 overall record following a win versus Webster University on Saturday Nov. 30. UWA is known for their stifling defense and that still stands this weekend, as they are holding opponents to 60.4 PPG (fifth in the nation) on .410 from the floor and .298 from deep. The Tigers are led by fifth year head coach Nike Woodruff, who is 81-32 across those five seasons with back-to-back GSC regular season titles in 2022 and 2023 with a championship in 2023. Woodruff's offense is led by senior guard Jaylen Lemons, who is averaging 14.6 PPG on a .410/.390/.875 shooting clip. The Tigers offense limits turnovers, as they are ranked first in the GSC and tenth in assist to turnover ratio at 1.86. They are currently ranked first in the country in turnovers per game at committing only 7.2 a game.
 
Following Thursday night's matchup, Valdosta State will travel to Huntsville, Ala. to take on No. 14 Alabama Huntsville to wrap up their first conference road trip. The Chargers are led by head coach Mick Hedgepeth, who is in his first year at the helm of UAH following a two year stint at DIII Sewanne and most recently Berry, where he accumulated an overall record of 80-32 across four total years. The Chargers' lone loss of the season was back on their season opener versus top-ranked Nova Southeastern in a 105-104 overtime thriller. UAH returns their top two scorers as the senior backcourt of Tommy Murr and Luke Burnett look to continue to terrorize opponents. Murr is averaging a whopping 23.0 PPG which is first in the GSC and 17^th nationally. Burnett is a player no one should sag on, as the guard has drilled a league high 28 three pointers on 69 attempts for a .406 clip while averaging 18.4 points a night. As a team, Hedgepeth's offense is averaging 86.7 PPG on a league high .511 from the floor while holding opponents to 71.4 a contest on .412 from the floor.
 
Following the weekend trip, the Blazers will return home for a three-game homestand before winter break as they host West Florida on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. followed by Trevecca Nazarene on Dec. 19 and Lee on December 21.